Drakon Road
by shynerdylady
Summary: Just a little story about Fem!Cousland and Alistair. Some game tid bit's thrown in for fun :D


Alistair, Leliana and Emma walked side by side. Leliana was talking of the Fade; she, Alistair, Wynne and Emma had been trapped there by the sloth demon in the Circle Tower.

"Emma, we never heard of what you dreamed of?" Leliana looked to Emma, curious.

Emma shuddered at the memory of it. She returned Leliana's stare for but a moment before gazing to the ground. "I was at Weisshaupt Fortress, with Duncan and the other Warden's." Alistair looked up, surprised to hear she was with Duncan in her dream. Emma continued, "there were a couple of other Grey Warden's there. Duncan tried to explain that we had killed the Archdemon, and eradicated the Darkspawn in their entirety," she picked nervously at the leather of her gloves. "I argued with him. I didn't believe what he spoke was the truth, so he attacked me. I, killed him. The demon," she corrected. "It was quite horrible, now that I recall it." She didn't realize she was shaking her head as she spoke, as if to shake away the memory.

Alistair couldn't imagine how difficult that must have been. It would have torn him apart to have had to fight Duncan, demon or no.

"The rest of the Fade was nightmares, others' nightmares," she shook her head again. "I can't believe it's a test for Mages, sending them into the depths of the Fade with demons." Her tone of voice did not hide her displeasure with the Harrowing; the test that deemed a Mage worthy, or unworthy, of life.

Alistair sighed, "it is rather horrific. To witness, even." Emma recalled that Alistair used to be a Templar. Almost a Templar, actually. He never took his vows, Duncan having saved him from that, he'd told her.

Leliana chimed in. "It's... I admire you greatly, Emma," she admitted earnestly.

"Well, thank you, Leliana. I'm not sure there is much to admire, but I appreciate the thought," she smiled. Alistair objected to Emma's words instantly. To himself in his head, of course. Aloud would have been quite revealing.

"This is why. You think nothing of yourself," Leliana continued to explain. "In the Fade, Wynne, myself, and Alistair," she motioned him, who acknowledged the gesture with a nod, "we, too, went to deep places within ourselves. Me to the Chantry, Wynne to her guilt and fear of failure, and Alistair to his family. But your dream, your encounter with the Warden's, this is your innermost desire; to see this Blight ended. It shows the truth in your ability to bring peace to Ferelden and it's people above all else." Emma looked out ahead at the road, silently taking in Leliana's words.

The Bard continued, "of course we all want to see this Blight ended. We all want peace. But, I think your dream in the Fade was proof that you were the one trusted with the task. I believe you were _chosen_to end the Blight. You never waver in courage, or in the difficulty of your task." Leliana saw Emma's eyes staring ahead and bit her bottom lip, fearing she had made the Warden uncomfortable. "I just... I just want you to know I appreciate everything you are, Emma. I really do."

They were strong words to use in regards to another, Emmalene flattered to be receiving them. Alistair nodded in silent agreement with Leliana. He'd admired Emma for so long now, it ached for him not to tell her the same.

"That is-" Emma started. She didn't know how to respond. Being appreciated for everything you are and were... she struggled with it. Living with the guilt of her family's death's, the death and the fighting they all endured every day... she felt undeserving of such admiration. She was constantly fighting with her emotions, overwhelmed with the responsibility of gathering an army, helping everyone that asked it of her; understanding another's plight while her own ate away at her insides, she felt was the right thing to do, but it was getting harder as time went on.

She lost her entire family not even a year ago. Her grief was heavy as stone in her heart, but her parents would not have died for nothing, she reminded herself. Duncan, conscripting her against her will, did what was best for her at the time. Her parents believed as Duncan did, that she had what it took to defeat the Archdemon and the taint it spread across the land. She knew that. But leaving them at the hands of Rendon Howe seemed a greater evil to her at times. She could have fought the Arl's men off. She could have stood and defended her parent's until death claimed her, as well.

She was upsetting herself thinking on such things. Her eyes met Leliana's once more. "Thank you. It means more than I can express that you feel that way, but if we could talk of something else," Emma's voice was stern but kind in her request, "I'd greatly appreciate it."

Leliana could see the pain in Emma's eyes and felt a pang of guilt at possibly causing it. "O-of course. I didn't mean-"

"You did nothing wrong. I just, have a lot within myself I've yet to face and was reminded of it. Forgive me. I would like to think on other things," her eyes pleaded for Leliana to not be hurt and understand.

"Of course," Leliana smiled, thankful Emma wasn't upset with her.

The three walked in silence for a while. Leliana looked to her feet, feeling guilty at whatever it was Emma did not want to remember. Emma was still looking ahead, trying to clear her mind. Alistair watched Emma's feet as they walked. Her right boot had a huge dent in the side. They'd fought so many battles on their journey so far, he wondered when it had happened.

He wanted to break the sad silence that had befallen them, but he didn't know what to say. He never knew what to say, really. He just talked nonsense without care of the result most of the time. With a shrug he asked, "so Leliana... I've heard rumors, about bards."

Her brow slightly furrowed she glanced to him, "oh really? What have you heard?" Emma listened in at his question, curious about what he was getting at.

"Well, I've heard rumors on how a bard _assassinates_ her target... how they are _lulled_into complacency," he added a flare of sauciness to his tone of voice.

Leliana straightened in posture, "if those stories were true, then who would ever agree to entertain a bard in their court?"

"Oh I don't know," Alistair shrugged, "there's a certain allure to danger, isn't there? And besides, you couldn't all be assassins, could you? I'd take my chances. If the stories were true, that is."

Leliana looked back out at the road, away from the other two. "We had rules about that sort of thing. Strict rules," she ended her sentence quickly.

"Such as?" his words lingered in the air. Leliana kept quiet as she continued to walk along with them. Alistair scoffed, "you're not going to tell me, are you?"

The red-head lifted her chin as she answered. "Let's just say I had plenty of reasons to join the Chantry, shall we? And leave it at that." She concluded the conversation with a nod before walking ahead to catch up to Wynne.

Alistair lifted his hands in defense. "Alright, then," he laughed lightly.

Emma shook her head. "Do you have to tease everyone, Alistair?" she couldn't hide her smile.

"Of course. What else am I to do?" he smiled back at her.

Emma shrugged. "Point taken." She looped her thumbs under the straps of her pack on her shoulders. She watched Leliana as she walked ahead, "it's strange to think of Leliana as a... a bard," Emma said. "Don't you think? She's so... sisterly."

"But she isn't, you see," Alistair waved a finger in the air. "She's sneaky. And a good liar, at that."

Emma smirked. "She is, she is. But still," she insisted. "I suppose I am just a victim of her bard-like ways, unable to see through the veil of trickery and deceit."

"Perhaps she has you ensorcelled with her powers of manipulation," Alistair proposed, a mischievous expression forming on his face. "She's going to put you into a seductive trance, and then kill you in your sleep."

She chuckled at Alistair's excitement at the conversation they were having. "I'm glad to see my imminent death excites you so."

"Tis all part of the plan, really. I've contracted her to dispatch you, so I can become the group leader!" He clenched his fists and raised them in the air as he evilly laughed. Wynne and Leliana looked back at him, wondering at his oddness and what was going on.

"Ahh yes," she smiled. Instead of jesting back, she suddenly felt the weight of being a leader bare down on her shoulders and it took the smile from her lips. Saddened by the gravity of it all, she replied, "if ever you want to lead, Alistair, you just have to ask."

He shook his head, not picking up on the morose nature of her words. "Me?_Lead_? Oh no, no no no. Bad things happen when I lead. We'd get lost, people would die, and the next thing you know I'd be stranded somewhere," he looked to Emma with a frightened look, "without any pants."

As heavy as Emma's heart was, she laughed heartily at the mental image he prompted for her. "Maker's breath," she laughed more, shaking her head as the giggles wouldn't stop at Alistair pantsless amidst the forest. He grinned from ear to ear. He felt like a king when he could make her laugh. She drew in a breath and sighed as she regained her composure. She looked to him, grateful to have found a friend in him along this crazy journey they were on.

"You know," Alistair looked away at the look in her eyes. He gazed up ahead and thought about her encounter in the Fade. He brought a hand to his forehead and rubbed his right temple with his middle and forefinger, "I know it's hard, out here on the road, us traveling all the time and all the fighting... but I want you to know that I'm always here for you, Em," he met her eyes once more. "We'll defeat this thing together," he smiled his charming smile, "and we'll be able to go home someday. We will."

Emma took in Alistair's words gifted to her along with that handsome smile. Her heart had never really known love. Her parent's did not promise her to anyone in the nobility. They left her to decide on her own whom she wanted to marry. They raised her to be independent, to have the free will to do as she wished as a girl, and now as a woman.

But she was no fool to what it was. She feared she absolutely, without a doubt, knew what love was. How it felt inside of your heart, how that excited tingle spread throughout your arms and legs, how it reddened your cheeks when the one you loved was within arms reach. She'd felt like this for months now. Her heart was brimming to the top with it; for Alistair.

"I..." she stuttered. She wanted to tell him she felt the same. She knew she could do this with him, that with him at her side the Blight would one day end and they would all be able to go home.

Alistair waited. He saw she was thinking, but whether it was something to say or not he had no idea. Her laughter was so brief, he frowned. He wished he hadn't said anything now. He wanted to hear her laughter again.

"Thank you, Alistair," she spoke suddenly. She breathed in a semi-deep breath as she looked back up at him. "I honestly don't know where I would be, in all this, without you."

Her lips turned up in that smile that enchanted him every time she gave it. His heart sprung up to his throat. "I... well, you're welcome," he managed as he tried to recover from his bout of glee. She sensed the nervous smile on his face and felt her heart climb up in her chest as well.

They walked side by side for a time, quietly beaming to themselves.


End file.
